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What is Tmux Cheat Sheet & Quick Reference?
Tmux Cheat Sheet & Quick Reference (tmuxcheatsheet.com) is a browser-based reference page for tmux, the terminal multiplexer that lets you run multiple sessions, windows and panes inside one terminal. It is organized into sections—Sessions, Windows, Panes, Copy Mode and Misc—and lists commands alongside their default keyboard shortcuts, so you can look up either the shell command or the key binding.
The page is aimed at people who already use tmux and need a fast lookup rather than a tutorial. Typical entries pair a command with its shortcut: starting a session (tmux new), detaching (Ctrl+b d), splitting panes (Ctrl+b % and Ctrl+b "), and switching windows (Ctrl+b n, Ctrl+b 0…9). It also covers session handling such as attaching to a named session, listing sessions, and killing all sessions but one—the kind of commands that are easy to forget between uses.
What it is good for, and what it is not
- Good fit: quick recall of a command or binding mid-task, or scanning the session/window/pane groups to see what tmux can do.
- Less useful: learning tmux from scratch, or understanding why you would choose panes over windows. The page is a reference, not a guided walkthrough.
- Practical trade-off: a single dense page is fast to scan and search (there is a search shortcut), but it assumes familiarity with tmux concepts and the prefix key.
A concrete next step
If you are new to tmux, open the page after your first hands-on session: start one with a name, split a pane, detach, then reattach. Use the cheat sheet to confirm each command as you go, rather than reading it top to bottom. For installation or deeper configuration, the same site links to separate Install and Theming pages; for the tool itself, see GitHub for the official tmux repository.
How do I start a new tmux session and attach to it later?
Start one named session, detach from it, and reattach by that name. Naming the session is the part that makes "later" reliable, since you won't have to guess which of several sessions you meant.
Start it
tmux new -s mysession
This creates a session called mysession and attaches you to it. If you only need a throwaway session, plain tmux works, but it gets an auto-generated name that is harder to find later. The cheat sheet also lists tmux new-session -A -s mysession, which starts the session if it doesn't exist and attaches to it if it does — handy when you always want to land in the same workspace.
Leave it running
Press Ctrl+b, then d. That detaches: the session and everything running inside it keep going in the background, and you return to your normal shell.
Come back to it
tmux ls # list sessions and their names
tmux attach -t mysession
tmux a -t mysession is the short form. Running bare tmux attach reattaches to the most recent session, which is fine when you only have one.
A practical scenario
You're SSH'd into a server running a long build or a database import. You start tmux new -s deploy, kick off the job, detach, close your laptop, and reconnect hours later. tmux attach -t mysession-style reattachment puts you back in front of the still-running process. This is the main reason people reach for tmux at all: surviving disconnects.
One trade-off to know: if the same session is attached from two terminals, both see the same screen. The reference lists : attach -d to detach other clients so you get a full-size view, and Ctrl+b s to browse and switch between sessions.
For the full key list — windows, panes, copy mode — see Tmux Cheat Sheet & Quick Reference.
How do I split the current pane vertically or horizontally in tmux?
Use Ctrl+b followed by % to split the current pane into left and right (a vertical divider). Use Ctrl+b followed by " to split it into top and bottom (a horizontal divider). The new pane appears to the right or below; the original pane stays focused.
The equivalent commands, useful in scripts or when you prefer typing them, are split-window -h for the side-by-side split and split-window -v for the stacked split. The cheat sheet at Tmux Cheat Sheet & Quick Reference lists both the key bindings and these command forms on its Panes section.
A quick sanity check: % produces a vertical line between panes, while " produces a horizontal line. If you remember "vertical line = %", the rest follows.
For a practical example, open a shell, start tmux, run a long build in the current pane, then press Ctrl+b % to get a second pane beside it for reading logs. To move between panes, Ctrl+b then the arrow keys works by default, and Ctrl+b ; jumps back to the previously active pane.
Two things worth knowing as you get comfortable:
- Direction of new panes: By default new panes open right or below. If you'd rather have them open left or above, that's a configuration choice in your tmux settings, not a different key.
- Splitting repeatedly: You can split any pane again, including one you just created, so a single window can hold a grid of shells without opening new windows.
If you often need the same layout, consider creating a named session with the panes already arranged, then reattaching to it later rather than rebuilding the split each time.
How do I detach from a tmux session and reattach to it later?
Detach with Ctrl+b then d. The session keeps running in the background; your programs, shells and scrollback stay alive. To come back, run tmux attach (or its short forms tmux a, tmux at, tmux attach-session), which reattaches to the most recent session. If you have several sessions, list them with tmux ls (or tmux list-sessions) and attach by name: tmux attach -t mysession.
A practical habit is to name sessions when you start them, so reattaching is unambiguous:
tmux new -s work
# ... do things, then Ctrl+b d
tmux ls
tmux attach -t work
If you often forget whether a session exists, tmux new-session -A -s work starts a session named work or attaches to it if it already exists — one command for both cases.
Detaching others and switching
Ctrl+b ddetaches only your current client; the session survives.: attach -d(typed at the tmux prompt afterCtrl+b :) detaches other clients, which is handy when a session is squeezed into a tiny window on another screen.Ctrl+b sshows all sessions, andCtrl+b wpreviews sessions and windows, so you can jump without typing names.
When detach isn't what you want
Detaching is for keeping work alive; it is not the same as closing. To end a session, use tmux kill-session -t mysession, or tmux kill-session -a to kill everything except the current session. A common mistake is closing the terminal window expecting the session to persist — that usually kills the client, and depending on how tmux was started, the session may go with it. Detaching first avoids the ambiguity.
For a quick lookup of these bindings while working, Tmux Cheat Sheet & Quick Reference groups sessions, windows, panes and copy mode on one page, which is useful when you only remember that a shortcut exists but not the keys.
How do I rename or kill a tmux session?
Use tmux's built-in commands or its default prefix key (Ctrl+b), depending on whether you are inside a session or at a shell prompt.
Rename a session
- From inside tmux: press
Ctrl+b, then$, and type the new name. The page lists this as Rename session. - From inside tmux via the command prompt: press
Ctrl+b, then:, and enterrename-session newname. - When starting:
tmux new -s mysessionnames the session at creation, andtmux new-session -A -s mysessionattaches to that name if it exists or creates it otherwise.
Kill a session
- Current session: press
Ctrl+b, then:, and enterkill-session. - A named session from a shell:
tmux kill-session -t mysession. - Every session except one:
tmux kill-session -a -t mysessionkeepsmysessionand removes the rest. Without-t, it keeps only the current session.
A practical pattern for people who keep several projects open: give each session a project name, then use tmux ls to see what is running and tmux attach -t mysession to return to the right one. Renaming early prevents killing the wrong session later. The full command list is at Tmux Cheat Sheet & Quick Reference.
How do I switch between tmux windows by number or move a window to another session?
Use a prefix key followed by the window number to jump straight to a window, and the move-window command to relocate a window into another session.
Switching windows by number
With the default prefix Ctrl+b, press Ctrl+b then the window number (0–9). For example, Ctrl+b 2 selects window 2. Related shortcuts from the reference:
Ctrl+b n/Ctrl+b p— next / previous windowCtrl+b l— toggle back to the last active windowCtrl+b w— list windows for selection
Number switching is fastest when you keep a stable layout (e.g., 0 = editor, 1 = shell, 2 = logs). If windows get renumbered after closing one, run :move-window -r (or movew -r) to renumber and remove gaps, keeping your number shortcuts predictable.
Moving a window to another session
From the command prompt (Ctrl+b :) or a shell:
:move-window -s src_session:src_window -t target_session:target_window
For example, :movew -s foo:0 -t bar:9 moves window 0 from session foo to slot 9 in session bar. To reposition a window within the current session, use :movew -s 0:9. To swap two windows' positions instead of moving, use :swap-window -s 2 -t 1.
A practical tip: give target sessions a free slot number first, or the move can collide with an existing window. For a broader command-and-shortcut reference covering sessions, panes and copy mode, see Tmux Cheat Sheet & Quick Reference.
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